Now this might not seem like a big deal, but.....a) you need to poke around the Smithsonian Open Access to see what's in there to "steal" from.....art resources are always a good thing if you can use them, and b) this is the Smithsonian....this collection is only going to get bigger & better over time.
For example......need a picture of a Castle for something you're writing? One quick search and here's the 1st result:
You can download a high-res version (I didn't here, but I could have), edit as needed, and go nuts. Attribute (you should 'cause that's the right thing to do, pun intended), don't attribute...whatever. The stuff in the Open Access collection is Creative Commons Zero content:
"Open Access items carry what’s called a CC0 designation. This means the Smithsonian dedicates the digital asset into the public domain, meaning it is free of copyright restrictions and you can use it for any purpose, free of charge, without further permission from the Smithsonian. As new images are digitized, if they are determined to be copyright-free, the Smithsonian will dedicate them as CC0 ongoing."
Did I mention that they also have 3d renders of stuff?
